Has anything like this happened in your days?

The world has been in a near-constant state of war for thousands of years —really, since Satan became the god of this world. Europe, especially, has experienced one war after the other, going back to the Hundred Years War between England and France. And as the heart of the realm of Christendom, Europe hosted two world wars over the past century.

But there is another war coming. It will be unlike any war before. Thus, the second chapter of Joel opens with this chilling battle cry by God Almighty: “Blow a horn in Zion! Shout a war cry in my holy mountain. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of Jehovah is coming! It is near!”

In ancient times Mount Zion was the highest outcropping on the mound where the city of Jerusalem was located. It was considered God’s holy mountain by reason of the fact King David first brought the holy ark of the covenant to the mountain. The ark represented God’s presence. Later David’s son, Solomon, built a temple to Jehovah on Mount Zion. At times the entire city of Jerusalem was referred to as Zion. But, alas, because of their unfaithfulness God caused both the temple on Zion and the entire city of Jerusalem to be destroyed by Babylon.

But the prophecy of Joel is not really about the siege of the literal city of Jerusalem or Mount Zion in ancient times. That is evident from the fact that the things foretold in Joel have to do with the day of Jehovah. And the day of Jehovah is the same thing as the day of Jesus Christ. For example, Joel 2:11 poses the question: “For the day of Jehovah is great and very awe-inspiring. Who can endure it?” Echoing that, the prophecy of Malachi asks the same question, only in connection with the Second Coming of Christ, where it states: “But who will endure the day of his coming, and who will be able to stand when he appears?”

Jerusalem and Zion are merely representative. What do they symbolize, Christendom? No. Jerusalem and Zion symbolize Christ’s congregation. That is because Christianity began in Jerusalem. That is where Christ was hailed as the King of Israel. It is where Jesus was sacrificed and subsequently resurrected. And it is where the first disciples of Jesus were anointed with holy spirit. The temple on Zion was also where the apostles focused their ministry. Jerusalem was the unofficial headquarters for all of Christ’s congregations —at least up until the disgusting thing made its appearance.

The desolation of Jerusalem and the holy place is also the central feature of Christ’s extensive prophecy about the conclusion of the system. That is what the prophecy of Joel is about —the desolation of the holy place and its impact upon Christians.

It is noteworthy that the disastrous events betokened in Joel are spoken of in the same way as the great tribulation. For example, the opening passage of the prophecy indicates that nothing like this has ever happened before. It reads: “Has anything like this happened in your days or in the days of your forefathers? Tell about it to your sons, and let your sons tell about it to their sons, and their sons to the next generation.”

Similarly,Joel 2:2 states: “It is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick gloom, like light of dawn spreading out on the mountains. There is a people numerous and mighty; never before has there been one like it, and never again will there be another through the years of all generations.”

And of course, Jesus described the great tribulation in the same terms, saying of it: “for then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world’s beginning until now, no, nor will occur again.”

Indeed, the great tribulation will be unlike any war that has ever occurred before or will ever occur again. And it is brought on by the attack of the symbolic locusts—Jehovah’s great military force. God uses them to destroy the present system —the stable, democratic system that enshrines freedom of religion and all that. It will be a time unlike any other when the nations launch their nuclear ICBM’s, at least a limited number. The passage in Joel referring to blood and fire and columns of smoke must be in reference to the signature mushroom clouds. No wonder Jesus said if God did not cut it short no flesh would survive.

That the Mount Zion that comes under attack represents the collective of anointed persons on earth is evident from the fact Jehovah intervenes against the “northerner” in behalf of the sons of Zion. Joel 2:23 states: “You sons of Zion, be joyful and rejoice in Jehovah your God; for he will give you the autumn rain in the right amount, and he will send upon you a downpour, the autumn rain and the spring rain, as before.”

The “sons of Zion,” as Paul explained in his letter to the Hebrews, have approached a heavenly Mount Zion. They are the ones spoken of in the 12th chapter of Revelation as the remaining ones of the offspring of the woman “who observe the commandments of God and have the work of bearing witness concerning Jesus.”

What does it mean that God will give the land a downpour of autumn and spring rain? That is explained further down in verses 27-29, which say: “And you will have to know that I am in the midst of Israel and that I am Jehovah your God—there is no other! My people will never again be put to shame. After that I will pour out my spirit on every sort of flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. And even on my male slaves and female slaves I will pour out my spirit in those days.”

Jesus spoke of giving living water to those asking. In other words, the “rain in the right amount” refers to the full measure of God’s spirit being poured out upon those who are blessed by Jehovah after the tribulation is cut short; and not just the anointed sons and daughters receive it, but even Jehovah’s slaves. That is an extraordinary thing. Whereas, Christians have always had access to God’s spirit –provided they do their utmost to obey him as ruler –the outpouring that accompanies the awe-inspiring day of Jehovah is something miraculous, stupendous! Given the fact that Peter cited this very passage from Joel on the day of Pentecost, when visible tongues of fire hovered over each of the 120 original anointees, we may expect the ultimate fulfillment during the last days to be no less miraculous.

The pouring out of the spirit will have a revitalizing and rejuvenating effect upon those receiving it. That miraculous revival coincides with the revealing of the sons of God —when “the chosen ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.” In other words, the sons of Zion will all have been sealed. Christianity will have accomplished its intended purpose. And the final message of doom will be delivered to the world.

Just as when God authorized Babylon to serve as his punishing agent, the northerner, God’s great military force, also metes out discipline in behalf of Jehovah. However, God then turned the tables and had Babylon overthrown as their punishment for mistreating his people. That is what the third chapter of Joel conveys. It is a declaration of war. Not a war between nations —God’s war. “Proclaim this among the nations: ‘Prepare for war! Stir up the mighty men! Let all the soldiers draw near, let them advance! Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning shears into spears. Let the weak one say: “I am powerful.” Come and help, all you surrounding nations, assemble together! To that place, O Jehovah, bring down your powerful ones. Let the nations be roused and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit in order to judge all the surrounding nations. Thrust in a sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come down and tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their badness is abundant. Crowds, crowds are in the valley of the decision, for the day of Jehovah is near in the valley of the decision.”

The Valley of Jehoshaphat is merely another designation for the place called Armageddon. Those powerful ones whom Jehovah brings down from heaven are the warrior angels, along with Christ and his 144,000. The harvest of the wicked nations and symbolic winepress are echoed in Revelation too; namely the 14th chapter, where the angel with a sharp sickle harvests the vine of the earth and treads upon it in the winepress of God.

The prophecy of Joel concludes, saying: “I will consider innocent their blood that I had not considered innocent; and Jehovah will reside in Zion.”

The desolation of Jerusalem and the holy place is also the central feature of Christ’s extensive prophecy about the conclusion of the system. That is what the prophecy of Joel is about —the desolation of the holy place and its impact upon Christians.

I was looking at the Grand Climax book and the boring lame story about Cedar Point Ohio pops up again. WT sure is obsessed about Cedar Point Ohio way back in the early 1900’s. The locust pests have been pestering people for a long time with pure rubbish! (Sorry Robert I had to borrow that line from you! Ha!} What a waste of energy and time. I for one am soooo glad to drop WT’s inane teaching on this subject. The King of the North makes so much more sense in every way. While JW’s are looking for WT’s to present to people thinking they are the locusts, the real locusts will catch them off guard as America becomes a memory when Britain brings down the system. What a rude awakening!

Burt Reynolds

Well one thing for sure Craig, Britain always brings down systems. Any hope, we destroy, anything beautiful we tear down, anything green we build upon, any vista we plug with wind turbines, and any train we make late. Anything simple, we make impossibly difficult with a form a hundred yards long to fill in, and any good service we make impossibly expensive. Then we make up some joke about it and reach for the anti-depressants. And then just when we think it can not get any worse, we vote for a politician.

The Raven

That’s a lot like what we have here across the pond. If you’ve ever dealt with the dmv, (division of motor vehicles) that encapsulates all thats wrong with this system .😐

Craig Knight

We won’t have cars in the new system but we might have to register our horses maybe but I doubt it since we won’t have to worry about horse thieves as they won’t be there!

The Raven

Lol! I think the horse might object!

Craig Knight

That’s hilarious Burt – Go Britain!!! Get it right this time and take down this arrogant country! At least Britain will be good for something by starting off the Great Tribulation. You won’t have to put up with government bureaucracy much longer Burt. 🙂

Sharon

great article b.king,it made me think of a watchtower from many yrs ago,speaking of the disgusting thing standing in a holy place being the roman armies in 66and then70,and then the watchtower made the connection to our day saying it would be holy to Christendom,not Jehovah,and everyone trying to make the connection,all the brothers and sisters were talking up a storm,this article tells me why.

e.v.g

Excellent article. The anointed would have to shown their love for God and Jesus. 1Cor 9:25-27 shows the attitude regarding those who have the heavenly hope, without mediators for example the org. for now it is only appearances.

Leonard k

Matthew 25:30
And throw the good-for-nothing slave out into the darkness outside. There is where his weeping and the gnashing of his teeth will be.’.

Revv_zone@gmail.com Please8834

Robert.
This question may not fit the article.
My question has to do with Revelations 13: 11-14 what is or nation is represented by the wild beast that comes out of the earth that has two horns that exercises authority over the first wild beast in its site and it makes the Earth in those dwell in it worship the first wild beast who’s Deathstroke got healed.. Why is it necessary to worship 1st wild beasts that’s Deathstroke got healed? Since the the arrival of the Beast ascending out of the Earth, has more power than the one that has the Deathstroke? Why so many different beasts?

Burt Reynolds

Interesting question! (I would like to know too!)

Paul H

I dont know if this answers the question in any way but I wanted to share this.

Copy paste from Roberts book “Jehovah Himself Has Become King” chapter 15.

“The death-stroke leveled against the Anglo-American seventh head of the wild
beast is actually the indirect result of the judgment against the symbolic seven-headed
dragon, which represents the Satan, the Devil. In reality, the earthly seven-headed wild
beast is a mere reflection of the symbolic, seven-headed dragon in heaven. That is
evident by reason of the fact that both the ouster of Satan and the death-stroke of the
beast are said to initiate the aforementioned three-and-one-half-year period of intense
persecution of the holy ones.”

Burt Reynolds

Maybe each head represents a year, to include the whole process?

Revv_zone@gmail.com Please8834

Thx.ive read that , but still doesn’t answer the question

e.v.g

The wild beast is similar to a lamb but talks like a dragon, and emerges from the earth. That means that this have a peaceful apearance but is fake because speaks like satan the devil and this institution or nations or whatever became from the grave, that means that was existing before. Even makes bring down fire from heaven, satan will bring power to an existing institution whose are now being influenced and controlled and the wild beast with the seven heads will revive this institution because brings its breath to the wild beast similar to a lamb.

SkinnyAndShort

Who are considered the male and female slaves? Robert you said God will pour the spirit not only on the anointed but also on the slaves. Or anyone who can answer who are the slaves?

Bklyn Kevin

The Day of Jehovah Is Near!.

Excerpt:
Both the anointed (sons and daughters) and non-anointed (menservants and maidservants) will receive the full measure of God’s holy spirit.

After the fiery purge the faithful will experience a dousing by the Holy Spirit not experienced since the original outpouring of spirit on the day of Pentecost. The 2nd chapter of Joel foretells that both the anointed (sons and daughters) and non-anointed (menservants and maidservants) will receive the full measure of God’s holy spirit in order to accomplish the final phase of God’s work in the post- Watchtower period of the tribulation. Joel 2:28-29 foretells: “And after that it must occur that I shall pour out my spirit on every sort of flesh, and your sons and your daughters will certainly prophesy. As for your old men, dreams they will dream. As for your young men, visions they will see. And even on the menservants and on the maidservants in those days I shall pour out my spirit.”

Very timely Leonard and much appreciated by all. I don’t know where you find videos like this but the more, the merrier in my opinion!

Craig Knight

LK – Really moving video’s thanks for sharing. Wasn’t that the spokesman for the NRA playing Moses? Does that mean that guns will be allowed in the kingdom? That was a joke!

Leonard k

Hear this word that Jehovah has spoken concerning YOU, O sons of Israel, concerning the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt, saying, ‘YOU people only have I known out of all the families of the ground. That is why I shall hold an accounting against YOU for all YOUR errors. – Amos 3:1-2
Woe to the eminent crown of the drunkards of E′phra·im, and the fading blossom of its decoration of beauty that is upon the head of the fertile valley of those overpowered by wine! Look! Jehovah has someone strong and vigorous. Like a thunderous storm of hail, a destructive storm, like a thunderous storm of powerful, flooding waters, he will certainly do a casting down to the earth with force. With the feet the eminent crowns of the drunkards of E′phra·im will be trampled down. And the fading flower of its decoration of beauty that is upon the head of the fertile valley must become like the early fig before summer, that, when the seer sees it, while it is yet in his palm, he swallows it down.

In that day Jehovah of armies will become a glorious crown and a beautiful garland to those left of his people. And he will become a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment and a source of mightiness to those who repel the attack at the gate.

And these also go astray because of wine; Their alcoholic beverages make them stagger. Priest and prophet go astray because of alcohol; The wine confuses them, And they stagger from their alcohol; Their vision makes them go astray, And they stumble in judgment. For their tables are full of filthy vomit —There is no place without it.

Whom will one instruct in knowledge, and whom will one make understand what has been heard? Those who have been weaned from the milk, those moved away from the breasts? For it is “command upon command, command upon command, measuring line upon measuring line, measuring line upon measuring line, here a little, there a little.” For by those stammering with their lips and by a different tongue he will speak to this people, those to whom he has said: “This is the resting-place. GIVE rest to the weary one. And this is the place of ease,” but who were not willing to hear. And to them the word of Jehovah will certainly become “command upon command, command upon command, measuring line upon measuring line, measuring line upon measuring line, here a little, there a little,” in order that they may go and certainly stumble backwards and actually be broken and ensnared and caught. – Isaiah 28:1-13

Leonard k

Matthew 25:30
And throw the good-for-nothing slave out into the darkness outside. There is where his weeping and the gnashing of his teeth will be.’

Joel 2:23 states: “You sons of Zion, be joyful and rejoice in Jehovah your God; for he will give you the autumn rain in the right amount, and he will send upon you a downpour, the autumn rain and the spring rain, as before.” In other words, the “rain in the right amount” refers to the full measure of God’s spirit being poured out upon those who are blessed by Jehovah after the tribulation is cut short; and not just the anointed sons and daughters receive it, but even Jehovah’s slaves.

I really like this explanation of the downpour of rain being God’s spirit poured out upon both the anointed and the great crowd. It’s a new understanding for me and it makes perfect sense. That would be a privilege to be there and see it occur.

Leonard k

1 Peter 4:17
For it is the appointed time for the judgment to start with the house of God. Now if it starts first with us, what will the outcome be for those who are not obedient to the good news of God?

Published on Jul 28, 2015

e-watchman.com

Hear this word that Jehovah has spoken concerning YOU, O sons of Israel, concerning the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt, saying, ‘YOU people only have I known out of all the families of the ground. That is why I shall hold an accounting against YOU for all YOUR errors. – Amos 3:1-2
Woe to the eminent crown of the drunkards of E′phra·im, and the fading blossom of its decoration of beauty that is upon the head of the fertile valley of those overpowered by wine! Look! Jehovah has someone strong and vigorous. Like a thunderous storm of hail, a destructive storm, like a thunderous storm of powerful, flooding waters, he will certainly do a casting down to the earth with force. With the feet the eminent crowns of the drunkards of E′phra·im will be trampled down. And the fading flower of its decoration of beauty that is upon the head of the fertile valley must become like the early fig before summer, that, when the seer sees it, while it is yet in his palm, he swallows it down.

In that day Jehovah of armies will become a glorious crown and a beautiful garland to those left of his people. And he will become a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment and a source of mightiness to those who repel the attack at the gate.

And these also go astray because of wine; Their alcoholic beverages make them stagger. Priest and prophet go astray because of alcohol; The wine confuses them, And they stagger from their alcohol; Their vision makes them go astray, And they stumble in judgment. For their tables are full of filthy vomit —There is no place without it.

Whom will one instruct in knowledge, and whom will one make understand what has been heard? Those who have been weaned from the milk, those moved away from the breasts? For it is “command upon command, command upon command, measuring line upon measuring line, measuring line upon measuring line, here a little, there a little.” For by those stammering with their lips and by a different tongue he will speak to this people, those to whom he has said: “This is the resting-place. GIVE rest to the weary one. And this is the place of ease,” but who were not willing to hear. And to them the word of Jehovah will certainly become “command upon command, command upon command, measuring line upon measuring line, measuring line upon measuring line, here a little, there a little,” in order that they may go and certainly stumble backwards and actually be broken and ensnared and caught. – Isaiah 28:1-13

Revv_zone@gmail.com Please8834

I just listened to the most unusual emergency broadcast on the radio in a long time normally it says in the event of such as a tornado or National Emergency etc etc this one included the words A” Hazardous Material Ejection” sound familiar ?